Channeling Gregg Easterbook

When it comes to little details I'm, to put it charitably, a "big picture guy." Likewise, when it comes to pressure, well, let's just say I don't always exhibit grace. It's for these reasons that I tend not to analyze individual games or, especially, plays within individual games very often. It's a long season and mistakes and losses usually come out in the wash, so to jump on someone for messing up something small in mid-August strikes me as overkill.

On occasion, however, I simply can't let little things go, so I get out the Ouija board, channel the internet's biggest pedant, TMQ's Gregg Easterbook, and let fly with some Monday Morning Utility Infielder!

And verily, the Baseball Gods wept, for nowhere in the land could infielders be found that could execute a rundown, nor could base runners be found who could take an appropriate lead!

'Tis better to have taken no lead than to be caught leaning, No. 1: Giants-Pirates on Saturday: Linceum catches Jack Wilson leaning off first base in the top of the third. It's a rundown! Ryan Klesko and Omar Vizquel botch it, Wilson safe at second.

'Tis better to have taken no lead than to be caught leaning, No. 2: Indians-Yankees on Sunday: Pettite catches Grady Sizemore leaning off first base in the bottom of the sixth. It's a rundown! Andy Phillips and Robinson Cano botch it, Sizemore safe at second.

Sour play of the week No. 1: Indians-Yankees on Sunday: Pettite catches Jhonny Peralta leaning off of first base in the bottom of the seventh. It's a rundown! Phillips and Cano get it right this time, Peralta out at second. The bases were loaded when Peralta was caught leaning. What in the name of all that is holy was Peralta doing leaning towards second in that situation? As soon as that happened, Carlo, the Official Son of Shyster, turned to his father and said "poopy." Of course, Carlo is only two, so he says "poopy" an awful lot.

Sour play of the week No. 2: Braves-Phillies on Sunday: Rollins on first, grounder to Martin Prado at second base, who flips to Yunel Escobar at short, who does that little glide-over-the-bag-but-never-touch-it thing that shortstops with more experience than Yunel Escobar can usually pull off. Second base umpire Brian Runge isn't buying it from a rookie, though, so Rollins is safe at second. What's more, Escobar's throw is late getting Tad Iguchi at first too, so both ends of the twin killing are botched. Ryan Howard then stepped up to the plate and proceeded to blast one out of the park. With four innings left to play, Shyster wrote "game over" in his notebook.

Reader Animadversion: I have no idea what that means.

OK, that's enough. Besides, Big Daddy Drew does that way better than me.